Yesterday morning was the first day where we went into different schools and worked with the children. The first set of kids we interacted with was 30 kids from about 14-20 years old. We started by stating our name, where we're from, and our hobbies. After we completed a round, they were all very curious to hear about where each of our group members live. For most of them, I'm the closest they'll ever get to America and a big city like Chicago. So for them it's like opening a whole new world in their mind. Then the students showed us one of their projects that they do. One of the main projects is making brown paper bags. Like the ones that you carry a lunch in. Personally for me, I never saw a day where I would have the opportunity to make this type of bad. It's surprisingly very sturdy! All it takes is simple folding and a finger print of glue. So, one of the girls I was sitting next to, Sofia, was almost a professional bag maker. A good majority of the other students would come up to her and ask for help. So I felt honored to be sitting next to the queen b bag maker! Truthfully, it was very challenging at first because it was a foreign idea and a completely new process for me. However, with the help of Sofia she encouraged me to finish, showed me the correct way, and allowed me to finish. For some reason, here in Africa I've had a new sort of feeling that runs throughout my body. It kind of seems like a nervousness or like having butterflies in my stomach. I feel that at certain points I've gotten this feeling because I was placed in an unknown environment with some uncertain tensions. Luckily for me, I saw that as an opportunity to grow and mature.
Not only did we make paper bags, but I asked the three girls sitting by me if they like to dance. Of course they said yes since dancing is a big part in Ugandan culture. So, we went outside and I showed them one of my poms routines. In their eyes I saw confusion, happiness, and motivation. Once I finished, the girls wanted to show me their dance moves! Let me tell you, it is one difficult style to master. It requires hips, confidence, and flow. My body just doesn't move as easily and smoothly as theirs!
The girls were so grateful to do a little culture exchange. Instantly I saw their eyes get brighter and a smile appear! When it was time to go, we said good-bye, but almost all of the children ran up to us and asked for our e-mail. I felt famous, like having a paparazzi following me. Except substitute the camera and flashes for pen and paper. No matter if the kids could send us an e-mail or not I think that it was more special to have that piece of paper from an outsider. It would be like having a signed baseball from your favorite player.
As I was making my way out, the last hug I gave out was to Sofia. She said to me, "Thank you so much! I appreciate your visit. Safe travels." Those three sentences meant so much to me, even though in America they might mean as little as half a penny. In my opinion for Sofia to say that to me was like exploring the moon. I think this was because I saw her glowing and more confident from when I first met her, maybe an hour before. It's amazing to see that just by sharing something with someone and accepting them for who they are, friendships are made and trust is built.
In the afternoon we went to another school, but this time with younger kids 8-14 years old. AS soon as we walked into the room, the kids stood up and and all said welcome. We split up into two different group, one music and one soccer. I was leading one of the music groups and we began with stating our names, age, and then I explained about Chicago. Pretty much bringing the outside world into Uganda. We then moved into making a human knot. This is where everyone grabs hands with someone across from then thus creating a big knot. The purpose is to untangle and end up in a circle. The kids love this because it challenges them, after some good teamwork, it was a success! The next game was to "make it rain." This is when one person leads in the center of a circle and does an action having everyone else following. It begins with a soft drizzle by sliding your hands back and forth, into a loud drizzle by snapping, moving into full on rain with clapping, adding some thunder by slapping your thighs, and a huge thunderstorm by going crazy!! Personally, I got really into it and went insane. I found that the more engaged I was with the kids, the more smiles, fun, and laughter they were sharing. As a result, I continues to raise my energy, I let my little kid shine through! I then asked the kids if they wanted to teach me a song, it's very simple. It goes like this: I got a ball, I put the ball here (pick a place on the body), and now i feel better, oh I feel better. We went around in a circle so everyone got an opportunity to "get the ball." Right after, it was almost time top say good-bye so we ended with a talk on creativity to relate it back to the music games we played. We started by asking the question, what does it mean to be creative? No one answered. WE then re-worded it to, do you like to use your imagination? All their hands sprouted up so the kids as a team described what using your imagination means. We concluded by saying that when someone uses their imagination, creativity will come too, making their dreams easier to achieve.
Today we went to another two schools. This morning we visited a school that works closely with the newspaper program for PEDN. To begin the class shared a poem about the world, newspaper, Uganda, and learning. Their main message was saying how grateful they are for having an opportunity to read the newspaper and learn about different events occurring in the world. Getting a newspaper every Monday is like waiting a whole week for your favorite T.V. show each week. However, when we get a daily newspaper I doubt that any of us take it granted. Needless to say half of us might even use it for bonfire materials. It's shocking to see how much more items are appreciated here in Uganda compared to America. Take food for instance, most people waste food without thinking anything of it. On the other hand, most of the people here are just grateful for each meal given to them and they'll eat every last scrap. It hurts to watch people suffer here with little food while knowing that back home tons of food are going into the garbage.
...to be continued
The next school we went to, was one that involved some challenges. While working here the schedule is constantly changing and so we thought that we would have a smaller group of kids, not 100! Therefore, we had to split up into two different groups. My group had about 60 kids in it, we were outside, and in the humid hot air.
personally for me, it was difficult to lead with as much enthusiasm as usual because of the heat and the constant need for energy. However, I looked at the challenges more as an obstacle to success. Immediately I knew the kids would want to have high energy, engage, and laugh so I took initiative and decided to play some simple games that I learned in theater. After that the students seemed to be getting lost in boredom but trust me it was hard to come up with an active idea to keep the momentum flowing. Luckily a light bulb turned on and I began to lead this chant that I do at camp called a lion hunt. It's where one person says the line and the group follows. Typically at camp it's a very calm game but I made some minor adjustments to make it more creative and engaging. I think that was one of my growing points, being able to determine the challenge and then being able to work around those difficulties. The lat game we played with the children was "Simon says", it's one of the simplest games to play because the kids love to follow us and it gets them actively involved.
And so the last day of volunteering has come. At both of the schools we played similar games to the days before. But one addition was that as we went around in a circle and stated our name, age, I also asked the kids to tell me their dreams or goals in life. Some examples of what the kids said were to be a lawyer, doctor, soldier, move to America, or a teacher. I applaud the students for not giving up and always looking on the bright side. It must be difficult to see white privileged kids come into their local environment and try to take over for a few hours. But I know that we're also seen as a figure of hope. Seen through my own observations, I've come to the conclusion that teachers, parents, or adults never ask the kids what they want in life. It's definitely not the topic of the day for anyone here, but it's a great opportunity for them to be able to express their inner thoughts.
Another observation that I've seen through this process is that the more open, lively, and free I was the more responsive the kids were. One thing that occurred was when all the children came around me, tugging on my clothes, holding my hand, running up to me and grasping my leg, just so they could be apart of my group. Once we where in a smaller group together, I asked the kids if they wanted to teach me a song. Surprisingly, it was one that I already knew! It's called JIGALO. However the kids new a different version and so the teacher asked me to clarify it and teach the real version. It's odd to see how simple games get translated across the entire world. At then end of each session, we all get into a big circle and run into the middle for one last big hug.Those are one of the best moments that the entire group encounters because we're all connected and the trust formed comes together at once. This is the true reason why I love what I do here because I'm able to put a smile on their face, even if they're having a horrible day. Plus the small things like sharing their dreams or learning a new game is something spectacular to them.
Tomorrow I'll be rafting the Nile!:)
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